BACK IT UP.

 

When you Lithe, your back and your abs work together as a team.  You'll always hear us talk about working or being in neutral (keeping your natural spinal alignment) and in imprint (contracting abdominals/tipping martini).  These two positions are the key to properly engaging all the right muscles.  

It's really important that you never press or push your back down into the mat when you're doing abdominal work or squeeze your bum to cheat that martini tip (in the case of Method Abs, you're not pressing your back down into the mat, you're engaging your abs in imprint and then really going further in that pelvic tllt 'in tuck' and therefore, the back will rest against the floor during your compression work). 

Being neutral and imprinted recruits your back muscles while keeping your spine in proper alignment, which keeps your abs in the proper position to engage, and you'll be a lot less prone to injury and low back pain/tension.

Image of Lauren Boggi via Dominic Episcopo.